Churches in Hyderabad gear up for Good Friday prayers

HYDERABAD: Christians from all strata of society will gather in churches from early morning on Good Friday to witness Passion Play, the enactment of Jesus Christ’s suffering till his crucifixion.
Anticipating huge crowd, Churches across the twin cities have made elaborate arrangements for special prayer services throughout the day.
The latter part of the daylong service consists of meditation on the last seven words spoken by Jesus Christ and veneration of the holy cross.
Catholic churches across Hyderabad perform the meditation in three different languages — Tamil, Telugu and English.
One of the oldest churches in the city, the 177-year-old St. Mary’s Basilica church is ready with pandals stretched over a large area and extra sitting arrangements in place to accommodate thousands of people away from the scorching summer heat.
“We receive more than 10,000 people on Good Friday and for that, this preparation is a must,” said Father Bala Showry the head-priest of St. Mary’s Basilica.
The prayer hall has also been decked up for Good Friday and for the celebration of Easter on Sunday.
Father David Francis of St. John Maria Vianney said: “Unlike the churches located in prime locations, our church gets only around 1,000 visitors every year on Good Friday, but people starts coming in from 6.30 am and a lot of them stay till the evening service ends at 8 pm. So that is why we make special sitting arrangements for them outside the prayer hall.”
Talking about the difference in the ways Protestants mourn this day, Rev. Pastor Sanjay Paul, the head-priest of Millennium Methodist Church, said: “We do not perform any Passion Play. Our church service begins at 11.30 in the morning and ends by 3pm after the meditation on the last seven words spoken by Jesus on the cross.”
Fasting on Good Friday is something that both Catholics and Protestants adhere to.